Health Care Language Assistance Services
SB 223 (Atkins, Ch. 771, Statutes of 2017) imposed new requirements on California health plans – including plans that do not participate in Medi-Cal – to include information about the availability of language assistance services, such as oral interpretation, in the 15 languages most commonly spoken by people with limited English proficiency.
For the purpose of complying with
SB 223, specifically, Health and Safety Code Sections 1367.04 & 1367.042, and Insurance Code Sections 10133.8 and 10133.11, entities can find the top 15 languages spoken
by individuals with limited English proficiency in California on Page 2 of the attached document.
Stronger language assistance requirements may apply to Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans and Mental Health Plans. For details of language services available to Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans beneficiaries see the All Plan Letter 17-011. 